Oil well drilling drive



V. YORK.

OIL WELL DRILLING DRIVE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 19.20.

Reissued Apr. 4, .1922. 15,330.

More YORK flTTOFA/ K UNITED. STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

Home You, or BREA, cauromrm, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF r WKLTER e.

\ nucx, or wnrr'rmn, CALIEORNIA,

bIIi-WELL-DRILLING DRIVE.

' Specification o1 Reissu'ed Letters Patent. lfleissued Apr, 4, 192-2,

2 Original 170. 1,297,289, dated March 11, 1919, Serial 170. 161,383, filed April 11, 1917. Application for reissue filed March 22, 1920. Seria1 1i"o.'367,899.

T 0 all whom it may cancer n: Be itlknown that I, YIomR Your, a citizen of the United States,- residing-at Brea,

in the cou'nty of Orange and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in OiLWeH-Drilliiig Drives, of

' which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the artbf drilling oil Wells,"and more-particularly to the art of drillin oil wells by the 'so-called rotarysystem. 11 this system a string of pipe is rotated by a rotary table; this string of pipe carrying a suitable bit at its lower end, by means of which the well is produced. In the present method' of. drilling wells the rotary table is mounted in suitable bearings located at or near the center of the derrick,

States 1,095,157

this table being, provided with a bevel gear which is driven from abevel pinion carried one short shaft. This shaft is driven through a chain from what is commonly called the draw works. This chain drive is a constant source of trouble, expense, and danger, as the breaking of the chain under tension resultsin a sudden whipping over of the broken ends which is extremely dangerous tothe men in the derrick.

The method of driving now practised throughout the oil fields of the world where rotary drive is used is well illustrated-and descr bed in so far as the, chain drive is concernedin-Letters Patent of the United to Thomas J. drifiin. I rotary table l is driven through a chain ,7.

y This chain is in turn driven from a sprocket 16 which in practice is somewhat higher than a man s head. The chain 7 is-a source of great danger and expense. It wears rapidly and breaks often and when it breaks, it

has a great tendency to whip 'over and strike an man who maybe in line with it. It also e ectually blocks ofi one side of the derrick above the surface of the rotary table preventing the men iron]. passing through upon that side in case of breakage in the derrick above. It also hinders operations as it prevents the men from passing freely around the-pipe tomanipulate tongs or do other necessary work in the derrick.

The principal 'object of my inventlon is patented April 28, 1914 In this patent, the

Z and advantages will'be made evident hereinafter.

In the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only these drawings, a derrick 11 is illustrated,

this derrick havin a floor 12, supported on suitable sills 13. upported in suitable bearings at or near the center of the derrick is a standard rotary table 14:, this table being provided with a-driven bevel gear 15. Mesh mg with the gear 15 is a driving bevel pinion 16, this pinion being m unted on a short shaft 17 turning in suitable bearings 18.

.The end of the shaft 17 is provided with a square portion 19 which fits inside" an eX-" tension 20 on a 'drive'shaft 21. Drive shaft 21 is mounted in abearing 22 located close to the extension 20.

Mounted on an engine block 25 is alien gine 26, this'engine having-an engine shaft 27 on which is fixed. a sprocket 28. sprocket 28 drives the standard draw works 29 through a chain30, the driving sprocket for the table14 being however, omitted from the standard draw works 29.

Turning freely .on the shaft 27 is a driving bevel gear 31', this gear meshing'with a driven bevel pinion 32 which is mounted on theextreme end of the drive shaft 21. The drive shaft 21 is mounted in an outboard bearing 33. The outer end of the engine The method of operation of the inveiition is as follows The The engine 26, which may be'gas or steam or otherwise driven, being in operation, the draw works 29 are operated through the chain 30, and the ordinary methods of hanto provide means for driving a rotary table .dling pipe, etc., may be carried on in accordwithout the use of chains. Further objects ance with the present method. When t is desired to turn-"the able 14, the clutch 35 is thrown in gear so that the driving gear 31 operates the drive shaft 1 21 through the driven pinion3 2. The "power from the shaft 21 is transmitted to the shaft 17 through the extension 20 and the squared endf19 oftthe. shaft 17'. The shaft 17 drives the table 14 through the pinion 16 and the gear 15.

I claim as my invention: 1-. In. an oil well-drilling drive, the combination of: a rotary table; a driven bevel; gear attached to said table; a driving bevel pinion meshing with said driven bevel gear"; a short shaft on which said driving bevel pinion is mounted; I a supporting structure for said rotary table; two bearings carried on said support .-a short distance from each other and in which said short shaft turns;

a drive, shaft means for loosely coupling F said drive shaft to said short shaft; and

means for driving said drive shaft.

2. In an oil well drilling drive, the combination of a rotary ashortshaft on which said driving for said rotary table; two bearings carried on said support a short distance from each other and in which said short shaft turns; a

drive shaft; a sleeve formed on one of said; shafts; a member formed on the other of said shafts loosely coupling to'saidsleevet and means for driving said drive shaft.

.Los Angeles, Califl, Feb. 19, 1920.

' VICTOR YORK.

table; a driven bevel gear attached to sald table; a drivin bevel pinion meshing with saiddriven beve ear;

evel pinion, is mounted; a supporting structure 

